Ch.6 The American Revolution

Ch.6 The American Revolution

by michael martin

​Lesson 1 The War for Independence

• ​Key Terms

• ​mercenary

• ​recruit

• ​transfer

• ​previous

​British Advantages

• ​British had the most powerful navy in the world

• ​Wealth of their empire

• ​population of 8.5 million

• ​well trained soldiers and officers

• ​Offered freedom to any slaves in the colonies that joined British army.

• ​Supported by 35% of Americans (loyalist)

​American Advantages

• ​Fighting on their own ground

• ​(British had to ship soldiers and supplies thousands of miles over the Atlantic Ocean)

• ​Patriots had strong motivation to fight - Independence

• ​Good leadership - George Washington

​Mercenaries

• ​The British hired and paid these professional German soldiers to help fight against the Americans.

• ​The Americans called them "Hessians" and they fought for money not the king.

• ​

​Early part of the war

• ​1776 - British Army captures New York City - thousands of American soldiers surrender or retreat

• ​Sep. 1777 - British army captures U.S. capital of Philadelphia PA. Continental Congress evacuated

• ​British Navy sets a blockade on all American ports to cut off supplies into U.S.

​Battle of Trenton NJ

• ​On Christmas night 1776, Washington takes his army across the icy Delaware River and launched a surprise attack against the Hessians in Trenton.

• ​Patriots score a huge victory and capture much needed supplies.

​Battle of Saratoga NY

• ​British army led by Gen. Burgoyne wants to cut the 13 colonies in half by marching through NY.

• ​A local militia group known as the "Green Mountain Boys" attacks the British army in the woods around NY

• ​American forces defeat the British at Saratoga NY Oct. 17, 1777 - surrounded the British army surrenders

​Effects of Saratoga

• ​After a surrender of a large British army at Saratoga NY, France decides to make an alliance with the U.S.

• ​Saratoga becomes a turning point in the war for Independence.

• ​Benedict Arnold starts secretly talking with the British.

​2 - The War Continues

• ​inflation

• ​aid

• ​desert

• ​issue

Multiple Choice

Which of the following battles did George Washington lead his army to victory?

• Valley Forge

• Trenton NJ

• Bunker Hill

• Cowpens

​Valley Forge

• ​In the American Rev. armies on both sides would settle in for the winters.

• ​This was so that soldiers could rest, train, and weather conditions were too extreme to fight.

• ​George Washington camped with his American army at Valley Forge in Pennsylvania

​Valley Forge

• ​Conditions at Valley Forge were terrible for the American troops.

• ​lack of winter clothes caused men to freeze to death.

• ​lack of supplies

• ​lack of food

• ​disease

• ​Many soldiers had no shoes and simply wrapped rags over their feet

​Foreigners help Washington

• ​American troops needed better training to fight the British.

• ​Washington had the help of Barron Von Steuben to train his army.

• ​Marquis de Lafayette - 19, from France took a small French army to help Washington and the Americans

​Problems in the Economy

• ​The young United States had no money at the start of the war and no power to tax.

• ​Each of the 13 colonies issued their own money which became worthless in paper.

• ​Inflation became common and American soldiers were paid in worthless money.

• ​U.S. had to borrow a lot of money from France and Spain

​3 - Battlegrounds Shift

• ​blockade

• ​privateer

• ​impact

• ​sustain

​Fighting at sea

• ​The American navy was very small and most ships were privateers.

• ​The British navy was the largest in the world and had many powerful warships.

• ​The British used their navy to blockade the east coast of the U.S.

Multiple Choice

• Washington crossing the Charles River

• Washington crossing the Delaware River

• Washington crossing the Roanoke River

• Battle of Yorktown

Multiple Choice

• American soldiers at Valley Forge

• Battle of Trenton

• Battle of Lexington

• Battle of Cowpens

​Fighting at Sea

• ​John Paul Jones, American captain captures the British warship Serapis.

• ​When Jone's ship was skinking and on fire, the British demanded that he surrender.

• ​Jone's shouted back " I have not yet begun to fight!"

• ​Jone's kept fighting until the British surrendered their ship

​war in the west

• ​Battles were fought not only in the 13 states but also in the west as well.

• ​Most Native Americans took the side of the British because they felt their lands would be safe.

• ​George Rogers Clark led American soldiers to victory at the battle of Vincennes.

• ​The British and Native Americans were driven back after this battle

​The War in the South

• ​The British decided to concentrate their efforts in the South due to the fact that many Loyalist lived there and would support them.

• The British also planned to free all slaves that joined the British army in the south.

• ​Many loyalist could be found living in the Carolina's and Georgia.

• ​This support from slaves and loyalist would be enough to bring the British victory in the war...or would it

​Fighting in the South

• ​The British capture Savannah Georgia first.

• ​The British then capture Charleston South Carolina and put their best general in charge - Lord Cornwallis

• ​Cornwallis plans to march his huge army into North Carolina and into Virginia

​The Swamp Fox

• ​Francis Marion led a small group of patriots through the swamps and woods of South Carolina, attacking large British forces and supply wagons.

• ​His men used guerrilla warfare fighting and would vanish in the swamps

• ​The British never could catch him, and Marion became known as the "Swamp Fox"

​Guerrilla warfare

• ​Marion and his men in South Carolina were able to hold the British army in the South by taking away supplies Cornwallis needed to move his army.

• ​The fighting was known as guerrilla warfare and it bought the Americans time to trap Cornwallis in Virginia.

• ​

Multiple Choice

• Father of U.S. Navy

• Swamp Fox

• Fighting Gator

• Swamp Snake

Multiple Choice

• G

• John P Jones

• Francis Marion

• General Lord Charles Cornwallis

Multiple Choice

• George Rogers Clark

• John Paul Jones

• Francis Marion

• Thomas Gates

​4 - The Final Years

• ​siege

• ​ratify

• ​ambush

• ​strategy

• ​pursue

• ​

​Yorktown - Final battle

• ​Conwallis and his British army are in desperate need of being resupplied so he marches his army to the coast of Virginia near the town of Yorktown.

• ​The British supply ships are blocked off by the French navy and Cornwallis became trapped at Yorktown with 8,000 British troops, loyalist and freed slaves

• ​

​Victory at Yorktown

• ​Washington arrives with American and French forces and lays siege to Yorktown.

• ​The British hold out but after several attacks by the Americans and French, the British army surrenders.

• ​October 14, 1781 Cornwallis surrenders to Washington, the war is over.

​Peace and Independence

• ​King George and Parliament felt the loss of the British Army at Yorktown as the final blow.

• ​1783, The British sign the Treaty of Paris, formally ending the war with America and France and granting America is Independence.